LOVE THY SISTER!                  DO 2445           5/88
--A Lesson on Love & Appreciation!

         1. (TECHI GRABS DAVID & KISSES HIM BUT HE PULLS AWAY.) (Techi: Why can't I kiss you?) What did she do? (David: She went, "Oh, David, I love you!") Honey, she's just enthusiastic! She was just trying to show you that she loves you. Would you rather have her hate you? (Maria: Would you rather have her NEVER kiss you?) Honey, that hurt her to act like that! That really hurt. (Maria: Are you getting uppity & biggity?) (Techi: Mommy, he's not getting uppity, he's always been like that!)
         2. DAVID, TRY TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE AFFECTIONATE WITH YOUR SISTER. (Techi: Why does he have to be affectionate?) Because you have to have love, "Love one another," that's why!-Jn.15:12. She is enthusiastic, she's a gusher, she's emotional & whatever she does she does it with her whole heart, & she just grabs you & kisses you! (Maria: Like GRANDPA!) That's what she wants to do. You shouldn't be like that, David, you should be more RESPONSIVE & a little more THANKFUL & APPRECIATIVE of your sister.
         3. WHAT IF YOU DIDN'T HAVE A LITTLE SISTER? What if you LOST your little sister? Would you miss her? (David: Yes.) Then show her. (Maria: Mama & David are a little bit alike, & Grandpa & you are a little bit alike. Grandpa's a gusher like you, Techi. But see, David, you have to learn to RECIPROCATE, you have to learn to give it BACK, because that's what they want. If Grandpa is real affectionate, I need to be real affectionate in return! "Love begets love!")
         4. AND DAVID, IF YOU DON'T SHOW A LITTLE AFFECTION, YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH A WIFE OR ANY WOMAN. You can't expect the woman to show you ALL the affection & you don't show ANY. You know what they wrote in about guys like that to "Dear Abby"? You know what all of the women said?--They said they'd rather have a little AFFECTION, a little CUDDLING, a little real LOVE than all the SEX in the World! (Maria: Amen, I wouldn't even know Grandpa loved me if he didn't cuddle me & kiss me & say sweet things to me.--Something he does all the time!)
         5. SEX CAN BE JUST A SELFISH THING, JUST BECAUSE YOU NEED IT & WANT IT. But to give a person love & affection & cuddles to show that you love them, that's something that's beyond & more than & even greater than sex.--That's real LOVE, to show you love them.
         6. DO YOU LOVE YOUR SISTER? (David: Yes.) Well, why don't you show her more? (David: She tried to hug & kiss me & I was real tired.) Well, even though you're tired, you've got to SACRIFICE a little bit, Honey, & you've got to put forth an extra EFFORT to have a little courage & a little energy & appreciate her love & respond a little bit.
         7. INSTEAD OF ACTING LIKE THAT, LOOK HOW NICE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF YOU'D HAVE SAID, "OH THANK YOU, TECHI," & kissed her & given her a little hug, then everybody would have been happy. It's a good thing this happened to teach you a little lesson, because she gives & gives all the time. She gives you love & tries to show you that she loves you even though you hurt her feelings & push her off.
         8. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT SHOWING HER A LITTLE MORE APPRECIATION & A LITTLE MORE LOVE? Don't you think you should? (David: Yes.) Are you glad you have a sister? (David: Yes.) Are you glad she's like Techi? (David: Yes.) Well, why don't you try to show her! Are you thankful? (David: Yes.) Well, what does the Lord say about us being thankful? Does He expect us to SHOW it? If we love Him, what does He expect us to do? (David: Show it.) So why don't you show her a little bit, Honey, & be a little nicer to her & have a little more appreciation.
         9. WHAT IF EVERY TIME THE LORD TRIED TO LOVE YOU, YOU SAID, "OH, I'M BUSY, I'M TIRED! GO AWAY! DON'T BOTHER ME!" What do you think the Lord would think about that? (David: He wouldn't like it.) Well, she loves you so much. She respects you, she honours you, she loves you & she does her best to try to please you. Sometimes she's a little silly & foolish & too wild, & sometimes she even teases, but just the same, maybe it's to attract your attention so at least you'll pay a little attention to her.
         10. SOMETIMES IF SHE CAN'T GET YOUR ATTENTION WITH A LITTLE LOVE & A LITTLE AFFECTION & a hug & a kiss, then it's her natural reaction if she can't get your attention THAT way, just to be BAD. Would you rather she be BAD to get your attention, to try to get you to reprove her etc.? Would you rather she be BAD to get your attention, or would you rather she be good & sweet? (David: Good.)
         11. ALL RIGHT, HONEY, WELL NOW LET'S TRY TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE RESPONSE. It doesn't take that much effort! Sometimes I'm even mad at Mama about something, but I still kiss her. I still squeeze her hand, I still pat her, I still put my arm around her, I still show her that I love her. You can be irritated by somebody or even mad at them & still LOVE'M! The Lord gets mad at us sometimes, but He still loves us. Sometimes I even get a little angry with the LORD!--"Why did You let this or that happen?", but I still love Him! Sometimes you're a little mad at Mama or Daddy, but you still love us, right? Sometimes we get upset with you guys, but we still love you!
         12. SO EVEN IF YOU GET UPSET WITH HER, REMEMBER SHE'S STILL JUST A CHILD, IN A WAY, Son, & she's getting to that stage where sometimes she acts like a child, sometimes she acts like an adult, but it's the same with you. You're not perfect either, are you? (David: No.) Well, then don't be so self-righteous & act like you're so good that you don't have to love anybody, that you are just going to be what you want to be & you don't have to show others any love or respond or anything.
         13. LOVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING! Right? Isn't that what it's all about? Is God Love? Why don't you be like the LORD, then, & be a little more LOVING & KIND. Because if you don't show a little kindness & love, NO woman is ever going to like you very much, if you just push'm off & push'm away when they try to show you that they love you.
         14. (TECHI: BUT I'M HIS SISTER.) That doesn't make any difference. EVERY girl, even the ones you don't particularly LIKE, are your sisters, so you STILL have to show them a little love, right? All right, this is a good lesson about loving your sister, don't forget it.

APPRECIATING LOVED ONES WHILE TOGETHER WITH THEM!

         15. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT THE LORD DID TO ME LAST NIGHT.--Sometimes you guys sort of annoy us & you get on our nerves with a lot of things you do, & I even feel a little fed up with you & I get a little impatient with you & I get a little sharp with you. But last night when we weren't with you, I really thought, "Lord forgive me, help me to APPRECIATE them more!"
         16. WHAT IF YOUR SISTER WASN'T HERE TONIGHT, WOULD YOU MISS HER? What if David wasn't here tonight, if suddenly he was gone, would you miss him? Well, I really missed you last night. I never realised how much I'd miss you until we weren't together for a night. I prayed, "Lord, I'll try to do my best for them & appreciate them more & be more thankful!" I realise that the day may come when we may have to be apart, or one of you may have to leave us or something, but I hope it's not very soon. Amen?
         17. THANK YOU LORD, HELP THEM TO LOVE & APPRECIATE EACH OTHER MORE, LORD, BECAUSE THEY WON'T BE TOGETHER FOREVER. Well, we will be in THE Forever, but not now, and one of these days they might really miss each other. And one of these days, we realise Lord, we're probably going to miss them, because they may have other things & other work to do with others. Then when we look back on these days, we'll remember them, Lord, as days of HEAVEN ON EARTH with our precious children, such happy days, our wonderful days together. Help us, Lord, to APPRECIATE them NOW!
         18. THANK YOU, LORD, FOR THE DAY THAT IS COMING WHEN WE'LL BE TOGETHER FOREVER, & never have to be gone from each other again! But last night we realised that the days are coming when we'll be separated and gone from each other, we'll miss each other, Lord. So help us to be THANKFUL & enjoy the days we still have together, in Jesus' name.
         19. DON'T WORRY, YOU WON'T HAVE TO BE TOGETHER FOR VERY LONG, YOU'LL BE SEPARATED SOME DAY & THEN YOU'LL LOOK BACK & REMEMBER HOW HAPPY IT WAS. Those days have come & gone with a lot of people who lived with us. They used to be happy days, & sometimes I miss them. Do you ever miss some of the dear folks we used to live with? It seemed like those days together were going to last forever, didn't it? And now they're gone. They miss us & we miss them.
         20. SOME DAY YOUR LITTLE SISTER'S GOING TO BE GONE, & YOU'RE GOING TO BE GONE, & you're going to miss her, you're even going to miss us. And the same with her. And even sometimes when he doesn't treat you very nice, he still loves you, even when he hurts your feelings. But if you'll try to UNDERSTAND each other better & be a little more indulgent with each other, you'll get along better & be happier.
         21. IN OTHER WORDS, TRY TO BE A LITTLE MORE LENIENT, A LITTLE MORE PATIENT. WE have to be that way with YOU sometimes, right?--To be lenient & more patient & try to be understanding when you don't always exactly please us, you don't always exactly do what we want you to do, when you sometimes even annoy us & are disobedient. It hurts, but we still love you. That's WHY it hurts, because we do love you. We love you so much that when you act like you don't love us, then it hurts, & that's the trouble. When she loves you so much & then you act like you don't love her, that hurts.
         22. THERE ARE PROBABLY TIMES WHEN YOU LOVE HER & YOU'RE PATIENT WITH HER & YOU TRY TO SHOW HER A LITTLE LOVE & SHE DOESN'T APPRECIATE IT, & that hurts you. Right, Techi?
         23. REMEMBER, THE BIBLE SAYS TO "LOVE THY BROTHER," & it also means "love thy SISTER," you know! Love thy NEIGHBOUR! She lives right next door to you, in fact next bed to you!
         24. OKAY, THAT WAS A GOOD LESSON WE ALL NEEDED TO LEARN, AMEN? The Lord had to teach it to me last night when you weren't with us & I really missed you. I really missed you!
         25. WELL, ENJOY EACH OTHER AS LONG AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE YOU WON'T HAVE EACH OTHER ALWAYS IN THIS LIFE. Even in the next life you won't have each other together all the time, because you'll all have important jobs. You'll be thankful if you get to see each other.
         26. EVEN IN HEAVEN YOU WON'T HAVE EACH OTHER ALWAYS, YOU WON'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS BE TOGETHER. In the Millennium you may have different jobs in places far away from each other, & then you'll be really glad to see each other again when you get to have a visit. So, PTL! Amen? When you grow up, why then you grow up & OTHER people need you.
         27. RIGHT NOW, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, DAVID NEEDS YOU, YOU'RE GOOD FOR HIM. You're part of him & he NEEDS to have a little sister around to annoy him & test him & his patience & his love. He even needs your love & affection, though he's not always willing to admit it. He even needs your cuddles!
         28. GBY! ILY! I GUESS WE'LL NEVER FORGET THIS NIGHT, WILL WE? We'll remember that we've got to LOVE each other, APPRECIATE each other & even MISS each other, for someday we really WILL miss each other. TYJ! It won't always be like this, there's coming a day when we'll be parted & we'll miss each other. So let's enjoy this while we can.

REAL LOVE IS...

         29. REMEMBER, CHILDREN, LOVE IS NOT TRYING TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO LOVES YOU, BUT TRYING TO FIND SOMEBODY WHO NEEDS YOUR LOVE. That's real love. Love is both finding someone who needs your love, & finding someone who needs you, & someone whose love YOU need. Thank You Lord for real love! My prayer is that you both find love, real love, someone to love & take care of, & someone who will love & take care of you!

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family